NMSU EDDY COUNTY FAMILY NEWS

Thursday, December 6, 2018

Responding to the Needs of Local Schools, USDA
Publishes School Meals Final Rule

More Flexibility on
Milk, Whole Grains, and Sodium Provides Options to Schools

WASHINGTON,
Dec. 6, 2018 – Agriculture Secretary
Sonny Perdue today empowered local schools with additional options to serve
healthy and appealing meals. A final rule on school meal flexibilities, to be published
later this month in the Federal Register, increases local
flexibility in implementing school nutrition standards for milk, whole grains,
and sodium. Secretary Perdue said the final rule will deliver on the U.S.
Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) promise, made in a May 2017
proclamation (PDF, 123 KB), to develop forward-thinking strategies
that ensure school nutrition standards are both healthful and practical.

“USDA is committed
to serving meals to kids that are both nutritious and satisfying,” said Perdue.
“These common-sense flexibilities provide excellent customer service to our
local school nutrition professionals, while giving children the world-class
food service they deserve.”

The actions taken
today will benefit nearly 99,000 schools and institutions that feed 30 million
children annually through USDA’s school meal programs. This rule is part of
USDA’s Regulatory Reform Agenda, developed in response to President Trump’s
Executive Order to eliminate unnecessary regulatory burdens.

The Child
Nutrition Programs: Flexibilities for Milk, Whole Grains, and Sodium
Requirements final rule offers schools new options as they serve meals
under the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), School Breakfast Program (SBP)
and other federal child nutrition programs. The rule:

Provides the option to offer flavored, low-fat milk to
children participating in school meal programs, and to participants ages
six and older in the Special Milk Program for Children (SMP) and the Child
and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP);

Requires half of the weekly grains in the school lunch
and breakfast menu be whole grain-rich; and

Provides more time to reduce sodium levels in school
meals.

Perdue said schools
have faced challenges serving meals that both are appetizing to students and meet
the nutrition standards. “If kids are not eating what is being served, they are
not benefiting, and food is being wasted,” said Perdue. “We all have the same
goals in mind -- the health and development of our young people. USDA trusts
our local operators to serve healthy meals that meet local preferences and
build bright futures with good nutrition.”

“We will continue
to listen to schools, and make common-sense changes as needed, to ensure they
can meet the needs of their students based on their real-world experience in
local communities,” said Perdue.

USDA’s FNS works to
reduce food insecurity and promote nutritious diets among the American people.
The agency administers 15 nutrition
assistance programs that leverage American’s agricultural abundance
to ensure children and low-income individuals and families have nutritious food
to eat. FNS also co-develops the Dietary
Guidelines for Americans, which provide science-based nutrition
recommendations and serve as the cornerstone of federal nutrition policy.

Wednesday, November 28, 2018

United States Food and Drug
Administration, along with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC), and state and local partners, is investigating a multistate outbreak of
Salmonella Concord illnesses linked to tahini imported from an Israeli manufacturer,
Achdut Ltd., located in Ari’el, Israel.

Achdut Ltd. has voluntarily
recalled all brands of tahini products manufactured from April 7, 2018 to May
21, 2018 with expiration dates of April 7, 2020 to May 21, 2020.

Recommendations

The FDA is advising consumers not
to eat recalled Achva, Achdut, Soom, S&F, Pepperwood, and Baron’s brand
tahini with expiration dates ranging from April 7, 2020 to May 21, 2020. The
product lot codes range from 18-097 to 18-141. Consumers should discard the
product or return the product to the store for a refund.

Some brands of tahini manufactured
by Achdut Ltd. may lack specific dates or may have labels that are written in
Hebrew. Consumers who have purchased a tahini product and are uncertain of
where the product was manufactured or cannot identify the brand by lot codes or
expiration dates should use caution and discard the product or return the food
to the store for a refund. More product information and pictures of the
recalled product labels can be found in the firm’s recall announcement.

Retailers and restaurants should
not use any of the recalled tahini manufactured by Achdut Ltd. at their
establishments. Retailers and restaurants should throw the product out.

Firms that may have used the
recalled tahini (either repacked or used as an ingredient in a food without a
kill step) should consider recalling their products. Recalls should be reported
to your local FDA office. A list of recall coordinators can be found here.

Consumers who have symptoms of
salmonellosis should contact their health care provider to report their
symptoms and receive care.

Background

CDC identified five ill people in
the U.S. infected with Salmonella Concord that had the same genetic fingerprint
as the Salmonella Concord found in tahini sampled at the point of import into
the United States. Of the five U.S. cases interviewed, all five reported
consuming hummus made with tahini; three people reported eating tahini or
hummus made with tahini in a restaurant in the U.S., while the other two people
reported consuming tahini or hummus made with tahini during international
travel.

A sample of imported tahini
collected by FDA at the point of import tested positive for Salmonella Concord.
The tahini was Baron’s brand manufactured by Achdut Ltd. This manufacturer was
placed on an FDA Import Alert, detaining
additional product from the firm at the U.S. border until evidence is presented
demonstrating that Salmonella is not present in the product. Whole genome
sequencing analysis has indicated the positive sample of imported Baron’s brand
tahini is highly related to clinical isolates from ill people in the U.S.

• Stick to main roads/highways when possible: If there is adverse weather
expected, stick to the main roads. You can go sightseeing later when the
weather is better. Highway crews prioritize the clearing of busy roads during
storms, and usually have no capability of ever clearing small roads.

• Let others know your plans: Make sure friends/family are aware of your
travel plans, to include the route(s) you plan to take, and when to expect
you. Importantly, stick to the planned route(s), or let them know if you have
to change plans.

• Bring extra blankets, clothes, and supplies: You may be perfectly fine
driving in bad weather, but other people on the road might not be as skilled.
If they cause you to crash, make sure you are able to get by until emergency
help arrives. An extra coat, blanket, some food and water can all be very
helpful.

• Make sure your cellphone is charged, and bring along a car charger. It is
difficult to communicate with others, including calling for help, if you
don’t have a way to do it. If you plan on listening to music from your phone,
keep it plugged in so your battery is still in good shape so you can call if
you need to.

• Slow down in bad weather: If you encounter bad weather, like rain, sleet or
snow, slow down. Wet pavement reduces traction, which makes braking
difficult. If you have to stop, try to plan where you will pull off the road.
Look for level, paved shoulders, rest areas, parking lots, etc. If you are
still near the road, stay in your vehicle, keep your seatbelt on, and turn on
your hazard lights.

• Keep fuel in your tank: Winter is not the time to try to see how far you
can go before you run out of fuel. When you get below half a tank and have an
opportunity to refuel, take it. Remember, a winter storm may mean power is
out in the place you otherwise might have been planning to get fuel, and you
could be stuck.

• If stranded, stay warm and ration supplies: If you get stranded in a storm
in winter, stay inside the vehicle if possible to avoid being exposed to frigid
temperatures. Ration food, water, and fuel, and get out that blanket you
brought to help stay warm. If needed, run the vehicle for about 10 minutes
each hour to generate heat, but make sure the tailpipe/exhaust pipe is not
blocked, and crack a window so you don’t get carbon monoxide in the car.